Health characteristics of elderly personal care home residents

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the health characteristics of elderly personal care home residents. Personal care homes are community-based facilities that provide living arrangements, assistance with basic needs and protective oversight. Personal care home providers were interviewed regarding the health status of 80 elderly residents. The most frequent ADL needs were bathing, personal hygiene and dressing. Thirty-seven per cent of the residents had some bladder incontinence. Eighty-two per cent of residents needed some help with medication management. Over half of the residents had some cognitive impairment. These findings support the proposition of increased prevalence of cognitive impairment in personal care home residents as compared to the first studies a decade ago. The combination of functional deficits and cognitive impairment indicates that these elderly residents may have unmet health needs. The role of the registered nurse in this environment is discussed.